The head of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Central Asia Max Georg Meier commented on the initiative of the deputy of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Nadira Narmatova to adopt a law on foreign agents.

He recalled that the German Hanns Seidel Foundation has been operating in Kyrgyzstan for 20 years. The organization will proudly celebrate its anniversary at the end of 2022. All these years, the Foundation has been trying to contribute, together with Kyrgyz partner institutions, to the development of public administration and local self-government in the country.

«For 20 years we have devoted our evenings and weekends to contributing to the development of the country through training, conferences, workshops... For 20 years we have traveled to the most remote villages to support civil servants there. For 20 years we have not showed our dissatisfaction in certain situations and tried to smile, despite the fact that since last year the government has worsened the working conditions of national and international non-governmental organizations. We are also ordinary people, of course, and emotions are not alien to us,» Max Georg Meier said.

We expected at least a little gratitude in return.

Max Georg Meier

«What do we have in the end: the deputy of the national parliament of Kyrgyzstan Nadira Narmatova proposes to adopt a law on foreign agents concerning such organizations like ours. At the same time, she argues very harshly: «Until we give them the status of foreign agents, there will be no peace in the republic.» Frankly speaking, I feel like my organization and me are being discriminated against and hurt right to the heart. The question why we deserve such «gratitude» is burning in my mind,» he said.

Dr. Max Georg Meier has been the head of the Hanns Seidel Foundation in Central Asia since 2002. The Hanns Seidel Foundation provides scholarship programs in public administration, local government, civil society and parliamentarism.